Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
P08547
BMS 04 1 130-US Ha/li/XP
FLEXIBLE FOAMS WITH LOW BULK DENSITIES AND
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flexible polyurethane foams with bulk
densities less than about 15 kg/m3 and compressive strengths less than about
1.5 kPa and a process for the production thereof.
Background of the Invention
Flexible polyurethane foams with densities of 15 kg/m3 and below and a
compressive strength less 1.5 kPa were once produced using blowing agent
combinations which contained water and CFCs. After the ban on CFCs, low bulk
densities were obtainable only by using blowing agents such as dichloromethane
or acetone or by foaming under reduced pressure. All these processes are
associated with disadvantages, sometimes quite serious ones: in many countries
dichloromethane is subject to stringent conditions with regard to the maximum
workplace concentration and the emission values from industrial production
plants, when using acetone the production plants have to be designed to be
explosion-proof and the use of reduced pressure requires the costly
encapsulation
of production plant and permits continuous production to only a limited
extent.
The use of water as the sole blowing agent and the corresponding increase
in the amount of water used leads to foams with very poor mechanical
properties.
In addition, discoloration or even self ignition of the foam can occur due to
the
exothermic nature of the blowing reaction. Depending on the polyol used, the
hardness and brittleness of the foam produced may also be increased by the
addition of larger amounts of water.
For the production of flexible foams with bulk densities of less than
21 kg/m3, U.S. Pat. No. 4 970 243 A suggests using water as blowing agent in
amounts of 5 to 15 parts per 100 parts of polyol and working at very low NCO
indices (the ratio of isocyanate groups to groups which can react with
isocyanate
in the reaction mixture multiplied by 100) of less than 80, preferably 40 to
65.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
-2-
EP 0 719 627 B1 and EP 0 767 728 B2 disclose the use of carbon dioxide
dissolved under pressure as a blowing agent for the production of conventional
foams. EP 0 767 728 B2 points out that foams with bulk densities of 1 S kg/m3
and below can be obtained by the use of water as an additional blowing agent.
When using conventional polyol components, the use of 6 parts of COz and 4.6
parts of water per 100 parts of polyol, bulk densities of 14 kg/m3 are
produced.
However, the resulting foams do not have the desired compressive strengths of
well under 1.5 kPa.
U.S. Pat. No. 4 143 004 A and FR 2 172 860 A disclose special polyol
mixtures for producing polyurethane flexible foams with particularly low
hardness, so-called "hypersoft" foams. These polyol mixtures contain two
polyetherpolyols which are immiscible with each other and have an overall
ethylene oxide unit content of 50 to 70 wt.%. FR 2 172 860 A discloses that
the
polyol mixtures should have a primary hydroxyl group content of 35 to 55 %,
U.S.
Pat. No. 4 143 004 A requires a primary hydroxyl group content of 55 to 80 %.
The foams produced have bulk densities in the range 20 to 30 kg/m3.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides foams with bulk densities less than
15 kg/m3, preferably less than about 13 kg/m3 (in accordance with EN-ISO 845)
and compressive strengths less than about 1.5 kPa, preferably less than about
1.0
kPa (in accordance with EN-ISO 3386-1) and otherwise good mechanical
properties.
It has been found that these kinds of foams can be obtained when
polyisocyanates are reacted with special polyol mixtures in combination with
high
amounts of water and carbon dioxide dissolved under elevated pressure as the
blowing agent.
These and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will be
apparent from the Detailed Description of the Invention herein below.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
-3-
Detailed Description of the Invention
The present invention will now be described for purposes of illustration
and not limitation. Except in the operating examples, or where otherwise
indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, OH values,
functionalities and so forth in the specification are to be understood as
being
modified in all instances by the term "about."
The present invention provides flexible foams with a bulk density less than
kg/m3, preferably less than 13 kg/m3 and a compressive strength less than 1.5
kPa, preferably less than 1,0 kPa, obtainable by the reaction of
10 a) aromatic polyisocyanate with
b) a polyol mixture comprising
b1) 60 to 90 parts by weight of at least one polyetherpolyol with a nominal
functionality of 2 to 6, preferably 3, an oxyethylene content of > 60 wt.%,
preferably > 70 wt.%, mainly primary OH groups, preferably 75 to 85
15 primary OH groups and an OH value (OHV) of 10 to 112, preferably 40 to
50; and
b2) 10 to 40 parts by weight of at least one polyetherpolyol with a nominal
functionality of 2 to 6, preferably 3, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 30
wt.%, preferably 10 to 20 wt.%, mainly secondary OH groups, preferably
30 to 45 % primary OH groups, and an OHV of 8 to 112;
c) water, preferably in amounts of at least 6 parts by weight per 100 parts by
weight of b);
d) carbon dioxide dissolved under pressure in an amount of at least 6 parts by
weight per 100 parts by weight of b);
e) optionally cross-linking agents;
f) with the use of foam stabilizers based on silicone, activators, metal
catalysts and other auxiliary agents conventionally used in the production
of PU foams;
at a NCO index of 80 to 100, preferably 85 to 95.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
-4-
Flexible foams according to the invention are produced by the reaction of
aromatic polyisocyanates. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is preferably used for
this
purpose, in particular in the form of an isomer mixture which contains 80 wt.%
2,4-TDI ('TDI 80'). In another embodiment, diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI),
in the form of monomeric MDI, mixtures of MDI and its higher homologues
(polymeric MDI) or mixtures of same is used as the polyisocyanate.
In a one embodiment of the present invention, component b2) contains a
polyetherpolyol with an OHV of 28 to 35; in another embodiment, the OHV is 42
to 56. In another embodiment of the invention, component b2) contains a
polymer
polyol, a PHD polyol or a PIPA polyol. Polymer polyols are polyols which
contain
a proportion of solid polymers produced by radical polymerization of suitable
monomers such as styrene or acrylonitrile in a base polyol. PHD polyols are
prepared by the polyaddition reaction of diisocyanates with diamines, e.g. TDI
and
hydrazine, in a base polyol; PIPA polyols are prepared by the polyaddition
reaction of diisocyanates with aminoalcohols. PIPA polyols are described in
detail
in GB 2 072 204 A, DE 31 03 757 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 374 209 A.
Optionally, cross-linking agents e) may also be used. Cross-linking agents
are compounds with a molecular weight of 32 to 400 and contain at least two
groups which can react with isocyanate. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, sorbitol, in an amount of 0.5 to 5 parts by wt., preferably 1 to 2
parts by
wt., with respect to 100 parts by wt. of b), is used as a cross-linking agent.
Foams according to the invention are produced in a manner known in
principle to a person skilled in the art, in a batchwise or continuous
process, e.g.
the Draka-Petzetakis, Maxfoam, Hennecke-Planiblock or Vertifoam process.
Details can be found in G. Oertel (Ed.): "Kunststoff Handbuch", vol. 7
"Polyure-
thane", 3rd ed., Hanser Verlag, Munich 1993, pp. 193-220.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
-5-
Examples
The present invention is further illustrated, but is not to be limited, by the
following examples. All quantities given in "parts" and "percents" are
understood
to be by weight, unless otherwise indicated.
S Flexible foams were produced in accordance with the formulations given
below in Table l, using the following raw materials:
Polyol A: Glycerine started EO/PO polyether with about 72% EO,
with mainly prim. OH groups and an OH value of 37;
Polyol B: Glycerine started EO/PO polyether with about 8% EO, with
I O mainly sec. OH groups and an OH value of 48;
Isocyanate: TDI 80, (DESMODUR T 80, Bayer AG);
Stabilizer: Polyether-modified polysiloxane (TEGOSTAB BF 2370,
Degussa-Goldschmidt AG);
Catalyst A: Solution of triethylenediamine in propylene glycol
IS (DABCO 33LV, Air Products);
Catalyst B: Solution of bis-dimethylaminoethyl ether in propylene
glycol (NIAX A1, GE (formerly WITCO / OSI)); and
Catalyst C: Tin dioctoate (DABCO T-9, Air Products).
20 All the foams were produced in a continuous process on a HENNECKE
UBT 78 machine. The total polyoT output rate was about 28 kg/min, the stirrer
speed was 3500-4500 rpm. The polyol temperature was 25°C, the
isocyanate
temperature was 21 °C. The polyol was metered in at about 30 bar, the
isocyanate
was metered in at about 85 bar (die pressure). Carbon dioxide was metered in
via a
25 NOVAFLEX unit made by HENNECKE.
Samples were taken from the blocks of foam, after being stored for 24
hours, to determine the mechanical characteristics: bulk density was
determined
according to EN-ISO 845; tensile strength and elongation at break were
determined according to EN-ISO 1798; compressive strength 40% according to
30 EN-ISO 3386-1; and compression set (90%) according to EN-ISO 1856.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
-6-
Table 1
Exam 1e No. 1 2* 3*
Pol of A arts 75 - -
Pol of B arts 25 100 100
Carbon dioxide COZ arts 6 6 6
Water arts 6.00 6.00 4.6
Stabilizer arts) 1.50 1.80 1.50
Catal st A arts 0.10 0.10 -
Catal st B arts) 0.03 0.05 0.05
Catal st C arts 0.05 0.25 0.17
Isoc anate arts 57.9 58.9 56.6
index 90 90 110
Bulk density 11.3 13.5 13.6
~kg~m3
Tensile stren h kPa) 92 n.d. 60
Elon anon at break %] 432 n.d. 157
Compressive strength 40% 0.44 n.d. 1.97
kPa]
Com ression set 90% %) I5.8 n.d. 5.4
Foam structure fine, sponge- fine,
irregularlike regular
structure
* Comparison example
As can be appreciated by reference to Table l, Example 1 provided a foam
according to the invention which had the desired low compressive strength and
low bulk density. The pore structure was perfect.
Example 2 describes the composition and test results for the production of
a foam not according to the invention with a low bulk density. The COZ was not
retained in the foam mixture and led to a sponge-like structure with large
voids. It
was not possible to determine the mechanical properties because homogeneous
samples could not be obtained. Despite the greatly increased amount of water,
the
bulk density was higher than that of the foam according to the invention.
Example 3 also describes a foam not according to the invention. Although
this was produced with large amounts of C02, the low bulk density and
compressive strength of the foam according to the invention were not achieved.
CA 02523398 2005-10-14
BMS 04 1 130-US
Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing for the
purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for
that
purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art
without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be
limited by
the claims.
